Foreword
Since Ayko was founded in 2019, we have had staff working in different locations around the world. The merger of our three companies meant we had offices in Leeds, Nagpur, Manchester, Sheffield, Dublin and London - that all had to work together to deliver exceptional client work on time.
A year later the coronavirus pandemic hit, which meant we were perfectly placed to adapt and deal with all staff working from home.
Since then we have fully adopted a hybrid working strategy, meaning our staff can work from wherever they feel most comfortable.
As a result we now have staff in 6 different time zones!
Some of these locations include:
To celebrate the success of this policy and our continued growth, we’ve conducted interviews with several AYKO staff to find out more about how remote working suits them.
Ravi, Team Leader in Nagpur, India.
What’s Nagpur like for those that haven’t been?
It’s an up and coming city based in the central region of Maharashtra. Once famous for its oranges, Nagpur is now a thriving city named as part of the ‘Smart City’ project driving technological innovation in India. Nagpur is a diverse city, with many different religions and languages.
What’s the team like in the Indian office?
There are 11 people based in the Nagpur office: 7 from Nagpur, 1 from Delhi, and 3 people from other cities.
What sort of work is typically done by the team in India?
We are mainly developers and testers. I am head of Devops, Rahul is QA lead, Anil is project manager - it’s a mixed bag! We also have two people who are graduates, they started working for AYKO in last few months.
However, everyone is working from home at the minute. We gather every month for food or drinks in a hotel to catch up and socialise together. Every Friday evening we have a call discussing what happened that week and reviewing where things could be improved.
What hours do the Indian team work?
11.30am-8pm Nagpur time.
How different were things during the pandemic (both professionally and generally in the country)?
Everyone in the Indian team is happy to work from home, no one has been demanding to return to the office so far. As developers it’s often a lot easier to work from home.
In India there was a lockdown during the pandemic, we were not able to meet anyone. We’re all very happy that’s finished and everything is open again now.
Bianca, one of our support team based in Iași, Romania.
“Hi, I’m Bianca and since May 2021 I’ve been working remotely for AYKO Digital Ltd.
Hi Bianca! What did you do before joining AYKO?
Before working here I completed my studies in the United Kingdom, but due to the pandemic, I returned to Iași, Romania.
What did you study?
I did my studies in London, at University of Westminster. LLB Law.
How have you found working remotely?
Working from home for an international company based in the UK is a pleasure because it allows me to work from the comfort of my own home while remaining close to family and friends. It’s fantastic for me that my manager is so involved; I’ve never felt overwhelmed because we always work together and do online training to gain more experience.
Can you tell us a little more about where you live?
Iasi is the second largest city in Romania that is rich in history and culture. It is the home of Romania’s oldest university and one of the country’s most important educational and research centres, as well as the economic, cultural, and academic centre of the Moldavian region. Leaving that aside, despite being a crowded and large city, Iasi is a place where you can have fun every day of the week because Romanians know how to party, visit numerous tourist attractions, and enjoy nature.
Jael, developer based in Barcelona, Spain
Hi Jael! Could you tell us a little more about where you’re based?
I am based in Barcelona and work from a home studio in a sunny penthouse.
How does working as part of a remote team suit you?
Thanks to the time zone difference, I can go for a run every morning before starting work without getting up too early. It works well for me and my routine.
What’s it like working as part of a global team?
It’s great, yes. We do regular calls to review capacity and make sure we’re delivering amazing work for clients on time. We also keep in touch regularly to talk about other things and I feel blessed to be part of such a friendly and welcoming team.
At Ayko we are proud of our hybrid approach that allows us to harness the talent of exceptional people all over the world. To find out more about careers at Ayko, visit our careers page today.
